Chapter 01
He couldn't see. He didn't want to see, but he couldn't even if he did. His jet-black bangs were sopping with rain, covering his eyes, as if shielding him from what was in front of his gaze. Did it always rain at funerals, or was it just a TV cliche that happened to be truth here?
He was looking down. The ground was wet, but safe. It was consistant. It was always there, in a sense, and never left him. Even when everything else had left him, the ground was still there, oozing around his footpaws. He didn't mind though; it was a reminder that it was with him, and clung to him as he wanted to cling to the lives of the forms that rested in the twin coffins in front of him.
He felt an arm on his shoulder. He didn't even bother to see who it was. He didn't know anyone here anyways, except two, but they weren't going to be talking to him anytime soon. Just random snippets of a condolance...'they were so young...it's a shame, really...I'm sure you'll be alright...'
But was he? Could he really just get over this? It seemed like his life was at its end as well. Nothing could ever be the same.
He opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep again, in class this time. The room was empty, save the professor, who looked at him with a mixture of annoyance and slight concern.
"Mr. Anarye...I don't take kindly to sleeping in my class. I'm aware you've been through some hard times lately, so I'll let it pass this once. But from now on, if you aren't sleeping well enough to work in class, just stay in your room. Alright?"
Tyru nodded silently, then gathered his things and left the room. Walking along the sidewalk on campus, he mentally revised his schedule. He had his last class in an hour, and work after that. Instead of hanging out at in the lounge, like he normally did, he would try to get an hour of sleep in before History.
That decided, the sophomore headed towards the dorms. Once safely inside his room on the fifth floor, he collapsed on his bed, eyes closed.
Six months. It had been six months since his parents' deaths. Both of them killed in a gang fight. They were just walking by, on their way home...and managed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Tyru was nineteen at the time, a freshman, barely at the start of his college education. He had been staying at the dorms when his parents were killed, and hadn't gone home since. Probably never would. It was too hard for him to go through normal life, let alone live in a house full of old memories that tortured him. A package had come a few days ago, containing things his realatives thought he'd want of his parents' things. Tyru hadn't opened it. It still laid on his dresser, waiting
"What's up Foxy...?" the smirking voice of Galen, Tyru's roomate spoke from the next bed over. He was a rabbit, with white fur dyed an array of bright colors. Tyru had been so out of it, he hadn't even realized that Galen was perched on his bed, doing some paperwork.
"Don't call me that..." Tyru mumbled, most of his statement distorted by the pillow he had his face in.
"Touchy..."
"Leave me alone. Sleep....I should..."
Galen wouldn't be dismissed to easily. "Awww...what's wrong wif da wittle foxy-baby, hmmm? Didums haf a bad day..?"
Tyru flipped over so he laid on his back. "Fuck off Galen...I'm not in the mood for your crap. Leave me the hell alone."
Galen rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, your fucking magesty..." He was silent after that.
Tyru thanked the gods that something was finally going his way...then turned the same praise into a curse as he heard the twang of an electric guitar. Normally, he wouldn't have minded so much; Galen practiced his guitar all the time. But Tyru was in desperate need of sleep, and his roomate wasn't that good, despite the constant practice.
The fox wrapped his pillow around the back of his head, covering both ears. "DAMMIT GALEN!!"
Galen grinned maliciously. "I have to practice if I wanna get any better, Ty-chan..."
"Don't call me that either," Tyru snapped.
Galen, since the beginning of the year, had decided it was his personal duty to harass the younger boy, by any means neccesary. Besides his normal aggrivating qualities, such as being a racist and a homophobe (which was probably most of the reason Galen tortured him so much, given Tyru's bisexuality), he had the ability to tear down any wall of tolerance Tyru tried to set up, with rude comments about the fox, his friends, others in general, and just generally annoying the poor boy out of his mind.
"What, you don't like pet names? I thought you guys all liked em..."
"Just what the hell does that mean?" Tyru asked, knowing very well what it meant.
Galen just smiled, that smirking, half-lidded smile that just makes you want to bash the person's head in, and got off his bed. Leaning his guitar against his dresser, he picked up his jacket and bag from next to the door. "I'd love to stay and help you sleep some more, but I've got class. See ya soon Foxy!" He left the room, letting the door slam loudly behind him.
Tyru growled in disgust and slammed his head back against the pillow. Galen had done his job well. The fox was too upset to even think about sleep now. He wondered momentarily how Galen would act if he knew about Tyru's parents. But he probably wouldn't act any different. In fact, it would just give him something new to torture him with.
He looked around the room, for something to occupy his time before class. The lounge was not an option. There was no way he could be around people right now. His eyes came to rest on the box that lay on his dresser. A plain cardboard box, yet it was Tyru's greatest fear. Finally, after a rigorous mental debate, he got off the bed and picked up the box. Even this was accomplishing something; he hadn't so much as touched the thing since it'd been delivered. Curling up into a cross-legged position on the bed, Tyru just stared at the package, not daring to do anything else.
After a few seconds of slience, the fox growled in frusteration. "This is stupid! I'm afraid of a damn BOX for crissakes!" With one swift motion, he ripped the tape off the box's flaps and dumped the contents on the bed. Throwing the box across the room, he exhaled a breath and surveyed the collection of items.
He had been right. It was all his parents' things...all stuff some aunt and uncle he'd met once or twice at a reunion had felt he would want. He sifted through the pile one at a time, hands shaking beyond control. Picture albums...his mother's favorite necklace...his father's pocketknife...the last thing was a small plush fox doll. Tyru's eyes rimmed with tears as he hugged the doll fiercely. His mother had made the doll for him when he was a child. It was supposed to look like him, when he was young. Seventeen years later, it was in somewhat of a bad shape. It was loosing it's stuffing, and the bright orange fabric of the doll''s skin was faded to a dark peach. It didn't matter to Tyru though. All he noticed was that his mother had kept the doll, even when Tyru had insited he was too old to have it anymore.
Tyru laid back on the bed, arms clamped tightly to the doll as if afraid someone would snatch it from him. Then slowly, with tears spilling down each side of his face, he fell alseep.
~*~
It was dark when Tyru awoke to the sound of the door opening. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand. 11:03...He had slept right through Histoy class and work. He sighed slowly, sitting up and running a paw through his black hair. He'd just have to explain things tomorrow.
Galen slammed the door behind him, like he always did. He was in a worse mood than usual, Tyru could tell. Must've got his jerk ass dumped or something... he thought, hiding a small malicious grin at the thought of his roomate getting what he deserved. The fox, after retrieving the cardboard box from across the room, began putting the packaging from the box back in it, clearing off his bed for proper sleep. Galen looked towards him, and decided to use the boy for some venting.
"What the hell's all that junk?"
Tyru didn't answer him, only continued tossing plastic peanuts into the opened box.
The rabbit growled. "I asked you a question! What's with the doll? Jeez...I knew you were off, but I didn't think you were that damn gay..."
The black-haired boy lept from the bed suddenly. He grabbed Galen by his collar and pulled him up close so their faces were inches apart. "Look you bastard. Whatever I am is no concern of you so kindly shut the hell up. As to the contents of this package, they are mine as well, not to be touched or even looked at wrong by you or you will be one very pained individual. Understand?"
Galen, not to be outdone, tried to push Tyru away from him, but the fox held his grip. "Get the fuck off me!"
Tyru narrowed his eyes at the other boy, then let go, pushing Galen away as he did so. He returned to his side of the room, where he finished getting all the styrofoam pieces in the box hence they came. He tossed said box back on his dresser, and put the albums, necklace, pocketknife and doll inside the drawer of his nightstand. After one final glare to Galen, he launched himself back into bed.
He had the dream again.
